Koolan Island facts for kids
Koolan Island is a special island located off the coast of Western Australia. It's part of a group of islands called the Buccaneer Archipelago. This island is about 1,900 kilometers (1,180 miles) north of Perth and 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of Derby. Koolan Island is famous for having a lot of high-quality iron ore, which is a rock used to make steel.
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About Koolan Island
Koolan Island is about 13 kilometers (8 miles) long. At its widest point, it stretches about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles). The island covers an area of about 2,580 hectares (6,375 acres). It sits about 750 meters (2,460 feet) offshore from the mainland. There is also a smaller island, called Round Island, between Koolan and the mainland.
The island is made of very old rocks, formed between 1.6 billion and 1.8 billion years ago. These rocks include types of sandstone and conglomerate that contain iron. The island has a rough and hilly landscape. The highest point on Koolan Island is 168 meters (551 feet) above sea level.
Mining for Iron Ore
Koolan Island is well-known for its rich deposits of iron ore. Mining has taken place here for many years.
Early Mining by BHP
In 1951, a company called BHP (through its part, Australian Iron and Steel) started digging for iron ore on Koolan Island. They also mined on a nearby island called Cockatoo Island. The ore was then shipped on company boats to Port Kembla.
By 1963, BHP had a very large mining operation on Koolan Island. The mine eventually closed in 1994. By then, BHP had taken out 68 million tonnes of high-quality haematite ore. This ore was very rich, with about 67% iron.
When the mine was at its busiest, about 950 people lived on Koolan Island. It was like a small town with a school, a police station, places for fun, and shops. The island even had a very long golf course hole, which was also used as the island's airstrip!
After the mine closed, a lot of work was done to clean up the island. Buildings were removed, and plants that weren't native to the island were taken away. Many native plants were then replanted to help the island's environment recover.
Mining by Mount Gibson Iron
When BHP finished mining in 1993, the main digging area, called Main Pit, was 80 meters (262 feet) below sea level. BHP then dug a channel to let 7 million cubic meters of seawater fill the pit. This created a new marine environment inside the old mine.
In 2007, another company, Mount Gibson Iron, started mining again on Koolan Island. In 2011, they built a large wall, called a seawall, to keep the ocean out of the Main Pit. This allowed them to pump the water out of the pit again so they could mine more ore.
Before restarting mining, in 2006, the company made an agreement with the Dambimangari people. These Aboriginal Australian people are the traditional owners of the island. The agreement aimed to have 30% of the mine's workers be Indigenous people within eight years.
In 2006, Mount Gibson Iron took over another company called Aztec. Shipments of iron ore to China started again in April 2019. As of 2020, Mount Gibson Iron still operates the mine on Koolan Island.
Aircraft Accident
On December 23, 1984, a small plane, a Cessna 210, crashed shortly after taking off from Koolan Island. The plane was heading to Broome. It hit power lines and flipped over. Sadly, six people died in this accident.
It seems the plane might have had too many passengers and too much fuel. The plane also took off with the wind blowing across the airstrip, instead of over the ocean. The gravel airstrip had also been affected by a cyclone in the days before the crash.
